ZaZa Maree & JackEL Release “Just Fine” & Interview [EXCLUSIVE]

JackEL & Zaza has been turning heads with his music since the very young of age of 14.

Their song “Just Fine” with Zaza Maree is an EDM banger you must hear.

At 16 JackEL moved to Vegas to pursue his musical career. He soon met Macklemore and Ryan Lewis who invited JackEL to be the opening act for them at the “March Madness Festival” in Atlanta, Georgia. Soon after,

JackEL began an another high profile collaboration with Three Six Mafia member DJ Paul and the two artists have been working on the completion of DJ Paul’s upcoming EDM album.

JackEL soon began performing in different cities internationally to build his brand, including The March Madness Festival in Atlanta GA; The Knitting Factory in Boise, ID; Tao Beach Club in Busan, South Korea; The Revolution Lounge, Dirty Blondes, Club 21, Three Kings Hookah Lounge, Tao Beach, Ultra Violet in Las Vegas, NV, The Epicenter” in San Diego, CA, Club Red in Tempe, AZ and “Club Congress” in Tuscon, AZ to name a few.

JackEL has also already established his record Label/Artist Collective “FVYDID”, who’s members continuously tour internationally, his most recent work is his new single “Just Fine” with Zaza Maree.

We got a chance to interview JackEL about his new song “Just Fine” and how him and Zaza came up with the idea. We also asked him about how he began producing electronic dance music, favorite VSTs, future work and much more. Check it out below.

ZaZa Maree & JackEL Interview – Just Fine

35th

@JACKEL

JackEL Interview

Tell us about “Just Fine”. How did you and ZaZa come up with this idea?

Zaza Maree: JackEL and I met at my recording studio at the time in Las Vegas and became friends. We started working on music together, and one day had a jam session that spawned the hook to an alternative rock song we called Just Fine. We decided to move forward with the track and turn it into an EDM banger.

What Inspired you both to make “Just Fine”?

JackEL: I was in a really current state of mind at the time with ZaZa, and was completely focused on the moment in front of me, there was no future goals or expectations with the record, more of just a fun time creating. I think being in a room with a talented singer, and guitar players was inspiring. Pretty girls also inspire me.

ZaZa Maree: I definitely make music based on my emotions, and I was in a good jam session with inspiring people at the time, and just feeling really positive. So to me the song is about chasing a dream and knowing that everything is going to be fine no matter what happens, because we’re all just here for the journey more than the destination. The journey is what we learn from. Like JackEL said, we didn’t have any crazy expectations for the record, just really liked the vibes and wanted to get them into a finished project.

“How long have you guys been creating EDM”

ZaZa Maree: I’ve sung for most of my life and music has always been a huge part of my life. I started writing and recording R&B pop when I was about 14 and I started to move over to EDM when I was 17. I started off with some EDM feature tracks and realized I really loved writing to dance music, so I went with it for my own songs.

JackEL: I began to produce EDM back in 2017 when I was 14, but created other genres before that on the guitar and drums. I started for a couple weeks with Fruity Loops, after figuring out what that was through my friends uncle. Shortly after I ‘upgraded’ to Ableton live and have been using that daily since.

How did you begin producing electronic dance music?

JackEL: I began to produce EDM back in 2010 when I was 14, but created other genres before that on the guitar and drums. I started for a couple weeks with Fruity Loops, after figuring out what that was through my friends uncle. Shortly after I ‘upgraded’ to ableton live and have been using that daily since.

What was it like collaborating with Three Six Mafia member DJ Paul?

It was a pleasure to collaborate on music with their crew. The sounds were high quality. It’s always a great experience to get in the room with great artists who’ve accomplished so much in there career’s. It pushes me to create greater art.

“ZaZa, there is a little rumor that you write songs for other artists? Is this true?

ZaZa Maree: Yes, I was working on my own music projects back in 2013 (when I was 16), when my record label at the time asked to use some of my original songs for another artist they were producing for. I didn’t really want to give up my music at first, because if all felt so personal, but I ended up letting the artist, Asia Monet Ray, release my original song ‘Go Back.’ Her team loved it, and asked me to write a number of other songs which were featured on Lifetime Network on her Dance Moms spinoff show ‘Raising Asia.’ I think that helped build my confidence in my own songwriting and got other artists interested in recording tracks I’ve written.

Out of all the clubs you have played at, what was or is your favorite club? best club?

ZaZa Maree: I just played Grave Digger’s Ball with Afrojack and Marc E. Bassy a few months ago, and brought JackEL along to DJ for me. We both had a blast and that was definitely one of my favorite performances of 2016. I also headlined a Halloween show for Label Charlotte in NC, and that was an amazing crowd. The crowd’s energy is what makes performing so fun for me.

JackEL: I’ve DJ’d in South Korea at a club called TAO Beach, and that was a great experience or me. Learning the international crowd at such a young age of just 16. Traveling far to perform to a foreign crowd is a great sensation. Clubs are a lot of fun, and so are festivals!

Do you have a favorite VST plugin or instrument to use?

JackEL: I use guitar a lot of the time to create ideas. I like external synthesizers because of there great sounds. I try to stay external as much as possible, but when I travel it’s more of an in board process of Ableton Vst’s created by companies such as Native Instrument’s, Lennard Digital, Xfer Records, Izotope. I think Ozone 7 is my favorite currently, but i’m always changing.

ZaZa Maree: I like to start out all different ways making music, and it really depends on the track. I usually like to write songs on piano or guitar to get the basic idea down, and then I expand from there.

What can we expect from you next year?

JackEL: 2017 I’m going to leave it a mystery for everyone to watch as it unfolds. I’ve got big dreams, and big goals for myself as an artist, and I know that ZaZa Maree does as well. High quality music and new experiences.

ZaZa Maree: I don’t want to ruin any surprises, but definitely new music, live shows, videos, lots of new content. I’ve got big goals for myself and I can’t wait to see and show what the future holds!